Minifiction or the short short story in the classroom

Have you ever heard of “mini-fiction”? “flash-fiction”? “the short short story”?


Have you ever felt the need to move beyond the one-off news article reading lessons?

Have you tried to squeeze readers – either original stories written for learners or adaptations of well-known books – in your class syllabus?

If the answer to the question above is yes, have you had the chance to exploit the material at length?

I particularly love reading and have attempted to include fiction – especially readers - in my classes.

The feeling I usually get is that I’m overlooking the material, asking learners about the characters, the plot, their personal impression but without really finding the time to work on the book in depth.

Mini-fiction is another tool we have at hand to provide learners with the opportunity to read for pleasure in the classroom and to give teachers the chance to exploit the material fully - concentrating on both content and form within a tight schedule.

So what’s mini-fiction?

It’s a new form of writing found under many names; flash fiction, sudden fiction, nanofiction, microfiction or the short short story. All of these have one thing in common: their extreme brevity, minifiction´s defining characteristic.

Other features which characterise mini-fiction are:

• intertextuality (an author’s borrowing and transformation of a prior text or a reader’s referencing of one text in reading another)

• implicit meaning

• humour and irony

• memorable quality

• abrupt beginning

• unexpected ending

How can we use mini-fiction in the classroom?

Like with any other written text you’ve dealt with in class, you can engage your students in:

Pre-reading tasks: predictions based on the title/pictures/first line, discussion about the topic, raising awareness about the author, feeding students information about the author

While-reading tasks: skimming (activities designed to find out the gist – general information – for example questions/true or false/gaps) and scanning (reading quickly through the text with a more definite purpose or to find specific pieces of information. E.g – timetables, names, dates, the order action takes place, pieces of vocabulary and grammar)

After reading tasks: drawing conclusions about the story, discussing the best part of the story, talking about the best character, writing a review, retelling, discussing intertextuality in the short short story, role-plays, etc.

In short, minifiction may give both teachers and students a sense of achievement out of reading a story which is original and fun and whose length makes it simple to focus on both the storyline and specific language items.

If you’re interested in reading a little bit more about this type of fiction and getting stories to use in class, you may like:


http://www.mini-fiction.com/
http://www.classicshorts.com/abc/t-z.html
http://www.bigeye.com/thurber.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/shortshortstories
http://www.indianchild.com/short_stories.htm
http://www.shortshortshort.com/sample_stories.htm
http://www.amazon.com/Sudden-Fiction-American-Short-Short-Stories/dp/0879052651
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Short-Stories-Writers-Thrift/dp/0486440982/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289419369&sr=1-1

Setting positive limits in the classroom 3 (when students rely heavily on our help)

This is the third in a series of three blogs I've written about setting positive limits in the classroom.


Have you ever felt upset because you couldn’t say “no” to a student’s request for help with their English outside the classroom?

That’s a very common scenario in adult, Business and ESP classes, so what should we do?

You’re fond of your students and you want to give them a hand with their abstracts and business correspondence. It’s just that you’ve started to feel they take your help for granted.

Do they know you have a house, a family, free-time activities and other classes to plan for besides their class?

You always experience sheer joy when you can provide students with extra help. But what about those who rely heavily on your help after class?

I always try to build rapport with my learners and there’s always a lingering feeling of tolerance, cooperation and trust in my classes. As a result, students know they can rely on me to help them with their English at work. That’s fine with me.

What I’ve started to question is the recurrent S.O.S signals some of my students usually send to me.

Some time ago, I discovered I was feeling angry at myself because I had to run some errands, do the cooking, go to my dance lessons, plan my classes and I just couldn’t because I was stuck in my study trying to figure out an extremely technical paper a student had asked me to check.

I was highly aware of the fact that I was responsible for doing something I didn’t want to do just because I couldn’t draw the line between my private life and my work. I had a pile of tasks to carry out and I knew I was going to miss my treasured hobby. Yet, I found it easier to bellyache at home than face the possibility of being misjudged by my student.

Having to say “no” to a student that we like at the expense of being misunderstood is challenging. “More often than not we allow other people’s expectations to determine what we should do … If we have frequently adapted to what the rest expects from us, we won’t know what we want” (Anselm Grün, Healing Limits)

Drawing clear boundaries is absolutely necessary. Some of us, however, find it difficult to put the concept to the test.

How can we be assertive and polite at the same time? How can we make it clear to students we want to help (at least most of the time) but we aren’t available 100% of the time ?

Who knows? We can try to have an adult talk with our students and let them know we have allocated some free time (days and hours) for that type of extra help. We may even want to charge that work depending on the time invested in it.

Whatever we decide to do, it’s a good idea to have a good relationship with our learners “in need”. Feeling in peace with our decisions is the first step to make up our minds about what we want to do, if we want to do it, and when and to communicate our decision properly.

What do you think? Cheers!

Georgina

Setting positive limits in the classroom 2 (authoritative versus authoritarian)

This is the second in a series of three blogs I'm planning to write about setting positive limits in the classroom.


Can you tell the difference between the words authoritative and authoritarian?

If you can, which definition best describes your teaching?

Below are both definitions according to the Collins Cobuild Dictionary for Advanced Learners,

Authoritative: a person who has a lot of knowledge of a particular subject. They give an impression of power and are likely to be obeyed.

Authoritarian: a person who controls everything rather than letting people decide things for themselves.

Most of us are likely to overfly both categories for a while depending on the teaching situation and/or context.

We may feel the need to be authoritarian when people misbehave or bully their classmates, for example.

We will hopefully feel our own natural authority and be authoritative in any regular class where rapport has been built and the rules of the game are clear.

However we choose to behave, it’s important to have a clear idea of when to set limits and draw boundaries.

Limits will sometimes feel suffocating and may even leave us with a tiny space to circulate. However, delimiting the learning arena will protect the people who interact inside it.

A teacher who is controlling a 100% of the time is bound to pollute his/her class with his/her impossible demands and expectations.

I used to attend a class where the teacher had a lot of insights into her subject. She expected everyone to respond the way she wanted. Discussion was inadmissible. She never listened to us. Making mistakes was out of the question.

We worked really hard to pass her exams. We ended up learning about her subject but at the expense of our confidence.

As opposed to that type of teacher, a teacher who’s authoritative will be confident enough to delegate, to share ideas, to involve his/her learners. (S)he will clearly understand that setting positive limits and respecting those of their students’ will turn out to be empowering. Students will feel acknowledged and respected within a necessary supportive frame.

“There is no way to categorize all teaching under headings; many teachers will find elements of each category that are true for them…However, this simple categorization may help us reflect on what type of teaching we have mostly experienced and what kind of teacher we see ourselves as being now or in the future” (Jim Scriviner)

Have you got any anecdotes you would like to share?


Many thanks! Georgina











Georgina Hudson blogs by Georgina Hudson are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Setting positive limits in the classroom

This is the first in a series of three blogs I’m planning to write about setting positive limits in the classroom.


How many times have you found yourself in a situation where you didn’t have the courage to say “no” to the students that you love?

What do you do when you’re really keen on your students but the situation urges you to set clear limits?

I’ve asked myself these questions a thousand times and I’ve concluded that:

(a) I’m afraid my students will stop liking me.

(b) As a student myself, I never liked the classes where the teacher was very strict.

I take pride in being a sympathetic, sensitive teacher and as such, I want to “spare the rod and reassure the child” (or teenage/ adult learner) about the pleasure of taking an active role in the learning process. I usually encourage them to overcome their fears and sense of ridicule, to speak their minds and defend their points of view.

I’m also aware of the fact that drawing clear boundaries and setting healthy limits, helps everyone involved understand the rules of the game, the space where it’s possible to circulate (and where it is not) and the necessary respect for their peers and themselves.

I remember myself in situations where I wasn’t feeling my own natural authority, I just bottled up my feelings and ended up bursting sometime later. I used to teach a lovely girl who was very cooperative and “very” talkative. She unconsciously dominated the class because she was fast and smart.

I was secretly growing tired of that and I finally asked her to be patient with her classmates (“please”). She told me I was too authoritarian. She also began bullying some of her peers. She obviously felt motivated by the class but didn’t understand my request because I had never asked her to stay calm and wait for her friends. Her natural reaction was venting her frustration on them.

As teachers, we need to be very clear and confident about the benefits of drawing limits. Learners may first respond with anger and they may even try to make us feel guilty, which is really hard to take. It’s easier for us to look understanding and loving at all times. However, our learners may be putting our authority to the test or they may even feel at a loss for what to hold on to in “limitlessland”.

Students not only need but also hope for positive interaction with teachers who have a clear idea about themselves and their roles, their subject matter and their learners.

What do you think? Have you ever found it difficult to say “no” at the right time?

Your experiences will feel me ideas for the next blog. Thank you.

Cheers! Georgina

Imprinting on our learners 3 (and on Teacher motivation to achieve it)

Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it’s the only means” Albert Einstein.


Now, how can we feel happy, satisfied and committed to our teaching and learners? They say, a teacher who’s motivated is capable of inspiring their students.Great, I agree, so how can we motivate ourselves to give our best?

I have already quoted Carl Rogers in his idea about respect, empathy and authenticity being key to generate a positive psychological environment for learning. I couldn’t agree more and I also feel teachers need those three “ingredients” to feel good themselves. We need to be respected, understood, and faced with real people in our everyday tasks.

What other drives do we need to accomplish our mission? I see teacher motivation divided into two domains – the motivation which comes from within and the motivation which comes from the outside.

When we are intrinsically motivated, we need to participate in the pedagogical processes within the school environment, the students’ world, the country where the instruction takes place. We have a natural desire to provide our students with purpose, direction and motivation. We adapt our learning styles to our students because we have taken the time to get to know them – their likes, dislikes and capabilities.

When we are externally motivated, stress levels need to be kept at a minimum, the classroom environment needs to be lively, we need to be paid well and our hopes and feelings need to be listened to. We feel good because we have flexibility in what we teach and students cooperate and assist to accomplish our goals.

I feel a nice combination of intrinsic and extrinsic satisfied needs can bring out the best we have in our places. As a teacher we can combine our personal competencies with the competencies of students into a smoothly functioning team that can activate their will to do things.

Returning to the questions of “imprinting”:

Why do our students sometimes follow us as if we were mother/father ducks?
What makes people feel attracted to our classes?

My guess is that when we feel intrinsically and extrinsically motivated and when we become aware of how our actions and beliefs affect our students, we naturally show respect, empathy and authenticity to them. Students, in turn, choose to follow us and our lessons because they feel acknowledged and relaxed.

And … it feels great, doesn’t it?


Quotes from colleagues on the topic of
(a)why students follow our classes and (b)teacher motivation (a big thank you for feeding me ideas!)

“I feel a sense of satisfaction most every day in the classroom. Sometimes, teaching is an absolute thrill. Both feelings come from seeing someone learn and grow. I think these joys are what drive the best teachers” Jeremy Schaar

“Knowing, from the very begining, where exactly your are heading for...

Finding your own way of doing things, specially if you feel that set procedures do not meet your expectations..(nothing is more rewarding than that, you bet!)

Being creative.... and also, being aware that creativity must be nurtured as well as renewed..

Last but not least, listening to your students... just a brief comment can be a turning point, and perhaps an opportunity for innovation” Clarisa Vilchez

“I take it as a personal challenge to make Arabic learners like to express themselves in a foreign language . My country is in great need of citizens who are hily educated and open-minded . It is my contribution to improve this country is through what I am doing . There is also a kind of challenge to plan a lesson and to do it in the appropriate way and time” (Teacher doesn’t want to be quoted)

“I run my own little business teaching adults, so I have to keep my clients happy - most new students come from personal recommendation too. So much for external motivation. Internal motivation is the satisfaction I get when I see that my students have enjoyed the lesson and learnt something as well. I want them to like me too of course! Teaching is much more than just a job to me - it's an important part of my life; my mother and grandmother were also teachers, so the urge and the example to teach well and see it as a vocation comes from them too.” Maggi Wilce

“A huge respect for the teaching profession” Татьяна Подурец

“Our teaching strategies and materials as well as our attitudes play a vital role in shaping a positive response from our students. We should also take into account the learners’ wish and willingness to learn. Learners who have a passion or thirst for knowledge and who can feel their teachers are passionate about their jobs and do their best to do a great job are sure to regard their lessons as unforgettable experiences” Marisa Mechetti

“A relaxed confidence in front of the class helps a lot too. Students want to know that you're a leader and that you're confident you can help them” Jeremy Schaar

“I think that this beautiful connection between the learner and the teacher takes place when the teacher is able to reach the student as a “person “. I mean, when you show the learner that you are there not only to evaluate him but most important to help him overcome his fears and exploit his strengths. In addition to this, I think that this strong bond between the teacher and the student occurs when the teacher is able to open her student’s mind and make him think and reflect” Maria Victoria

“To motivate students, it is crucial to know that The complexity of motivation as a behavioral construct has compelled researchers to identify different types of motivations and examine how they influence student learning. For example, Self- Determination Theory (SDT)—proposed by Deci, Ryan, and their colleagues (e.g., Deci and Ryan 1985; Ryan and Deci 2000)—con­siders what types of motivation may initiate and sustain interest in learning. Two basic forms of motivation are extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is typically driven by factors outside of the learner; extrin­sically motivated students read to receive good grades, please the teacher, and outperform their classmates, but not because they find reading interesting or enjoyable. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is free from the influence of external factors such as reward or punishment” Khalid Fuad

Confidence

■dream big; don't settle for okayness but imagine a great life and strive for it every day


■dream long; don't expect things to happen over night but be prepared for happiness and success to take time

■enjoy the journey along the way, not just when you "arrive"

■work hard; I've not met a happy or successful person yet who in one way or other hasn't worked hard to achieve their goals

■surround yourself with people who are just as happy and successful as you'd like to be
■expect road-blocks; and be prepared to negotiate them as needed

■go with your strengths; don't try to be what you're not; but find a way to be the best you can be and shape this for your happiness and success (whatever that means for and to you)

■stick at it; practice and persevere

Imprinting on our learners (Part 2)

This is the second in a series of three blogs about teacher-student motivation I’ve started to write.


I wrote my first blog about this topic having an inspiration from a video about animal imprinting. In that video a newborn duckling started following a puppy upon coming out of its egg. Apparently, ducklings follow the first moving object they see as soon as they hatch.

I started to ponder the question of why our students sometimes follow us as if we were mother/father ducks. It’s an incredibly satisfying moment. I’m not referring to being a mother/father duck, I’m referring to that feeling that we get when we have a sense that we are leaving a positive imprint on our students.

So what makes people feel attracted to our classes? What motivates people to learn with us? Carl Rogers, the American psyhologist, suggested that there are three core teacher characteristics that help to create an effective learning environment. These are: respect, empathy and authenticity.

We may know loads of teaching methodologies which will aid us. From my experience, I can say, I just love learning about the most current trends in pedagogy. I’m also aware that respect, empathy and authenticity are key to generate a positive psychological environment for learning.

“It is our attitude and intentions rather than our methodology that we may need to work on” (Carl Rogers).

People can tell when we have a positive attitude towards them, when we acknowledge them and when they see we are true to ourselves. Students engage in our classes naturally when we respect them and when we take our time to listen to, observe and assist them.

I have a hunch that students will choose to “follow” us when we help to create the conditions for them to feel confident, relaxed and capable of learning.

So what do you think? What can you tell us about your experience? And last but not least, what moves us to teach in such a positive way?

Your welcome to post your ideas, which I will share in my third blog.

Cheers!

Imprinting on our learners

This is the first in a series of three blogs I’m planning to write about teacher-student motivation.


Have you ever swollen with joy when you finish a class and your students stay a little bit longer to talk to you and the rest of the class? Have you ever experienced a sense of achievement when you leave the classroom and students follow you to continue talking about the issues raised in class? Have you ever felt moved when students tell you they still remember you many years after you’ve taught them? Everyone takes pride in their classes when some of the above takes place. There’s the lingering feeling in the air that we have done something right.

A few days ago, I saw a video about a small duckling which starts following a puppy upon coming out of its egg. According to studies, newborn ducklings follow the first moving object they see. That phenomenon is called “imprinting”: an amazing and very curious example of genetic and environmental influence on animal behaviour. The first scientific studies of this phenomenon were carried out by Austrian naturalist Konrad Lorenz, one of the founders of ethology (the study of animal behavior).

He discovered that if greylag geese were reared by him from hatching, they would treat him like a parental bird. The goslings followed Lorenz about and when they were adults they courted him in preference to other greylag geese. He first called the phenomenon "stamping in" in German, which has been translated into English as “imprinting”.

The video was very sweet and I couldn’t help smiling. I suddenly started to think that learners sometimes behave like this newborn duckling following us wherever we go. I’m not saying that our students think we have become their mother and I don’t really think they feel like ducklings either (even though kiddies are just as sweet, aren’t they?) I’m just trying to figure out what motivates our students to “follow” us. What is it that makes our teaching such a memorable experience? Because we sometimes leave a powerful imprint on our learners, so why?

I remember a situation back in 2003, when I had two groups with the same level and belonging to the same age group. One of those classes was nice, we worked effectively and I got on with every participant really well. The other group was also highly engaged but there was something else, like a magic spell, which made us all happy every time we met. We really cherished and celebrated those encounters. The students in that class cooperated a lot, they put a lot into the classes and they still e-mail me telling me how much they remember the year we shared.

Why do we teach A & B in the same way but we leave an imprint on just one – A or B?

I have all sorts of ideas, which I need to put in order in my head. For the time being, you’re welcome to post your views on the subject.

Cheers! Georgina

Keeping a healthy mind

Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be the most frustrating thing in the world. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those “senior moments." Whether it's relaxation or adding certain foods to your diet, read on for some techniques worth trying.


1. Chill Out: The brain remembers better when it’s relaxed, say researchers at the California Institute of Technology, so take a few minutes each day to breathe deeply or meditate.

2. Focus on the Future: There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long-or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brain looking forward.

3. Go for a Walk: When you exercise, you release chemicals that are good for your brain. It's like a mini fountain of youth in your brain, and the only way you can get it is exercise. In other words, when you take care of your heart, you take care of your brain.

4. Snack on Berries: Blueberries have compounds called anthocyanins that help communication between brain cells and appear to improve memory. It's a healthy, well-rounded diet, especially one that mimics a Mediterranean diet, and that's fish, lots of fruits and vegetables, everyone likes them.

5. Learn Something New: Take a Spanish class online, join a knitting club, or learn to play poker. Why not combining learning something new with physical activity. It should be something like dancing, or coaching a sport. Or go learn golf with your friends. That sort of thing is even better for your brain than a crossword puzzle.
 
There are a lot of articles which you might find worth reading on facebook: mahdia english language association

What should we do when our adult students misbehave in class? Part 3

This is the third in a series of three blogs about what to do when our adult students misbehave in class.

Last year I was teaching a group of “junior professionals” and I was really enjoying the ride. The participants were highly motivated, so they loved coming to class. Most of them were cooperative and easy-going. However, there was one student (A) who relished contradicting absolutely everybody.


A poked fun at everyone’s weaknesses or queries in class. What’s more, he enjoyed teasing me. I found his jokes funny at the beginning but little by little I started to feel everyone’s uneasiness about his behaviour. Nobody could foresee what he was going to say or do next, which was totally uncomfortable.

I have a tendency to trust people easily, I love interpersonal communication and I always try to see the sunny side of life. A, instead, complained about his colleagues, politicians, the company, the economy and so on and so forth. I tried to moderate his comments by saying something which could shed some light on his cynical views. He always had the same reaction:

“oh, yeah, I’d forgotten…you’re SO positive, aren’t you?. In fact, you’re far too naive. No offence”

I knew he held me in contempt. He felt I lived in a bubble where only teaching, feelings and my family mattered while he was working hard in that factory and there was little prospect of his climbing the career ladder. I decided to take it easy because I liked that class and so did they.

One day we started talking about an issue concerning the corporate world. I hadn’t planned that but students were really engaged, so I looked for supplementary material to work on. A said bluntly:

“We’re dwelling on this topic. We should drop it unless you’re too innocent to believe all those lies”.

I decided to smile and added:

“Ok A, why don’t you bring to class what you like? I volunteer to design tasks to work on that”

A was surprised and started to tell me what he wanted me to do. I tried to be as positive as I could and just asked him to be nice and not to find his own material boring. He chuckled at my comment.

We followed our syllabus and took some time to deal with what A had suggested now and then. I wanted to establish rapport with him. As A was a bold type of person I started to behave in the same way with him. I used to unexpectedly stop at some point in our classes and asked:

“A, have we worked on this for too long? Do you allow us to stay with it a little longer?”

He found it funny and always had something to say back:

“oh yeah yeah we could continue with this a little longer”

I went telling him things like:

“oh, what a relief. I trust you so much. I know you’ll tell me when it’s time for a change”

After some time, A said to me:

“I think you’re innocent but I don’t think you’re stupid”

I replied:

“Neither do I. I’m surprised at your comment. Is it a compliment?”

A’s change was amazing. He cooperated with his peers and with me. By the end of the year we got on with each other really well.

I don't know why but I feel proud of how things evolved.

What do you think? You're welcome to make suggestions and post comments on this.

Cheers!

Lesson from the Tao. Let yourself go with the flow!

At the Gorge of Lu, the great waterfall plunges for thousands of feet, its spray visible for miles. In the churning waters below, no living creature can be seen.


One day, K’ung Fu-tse was standing at a distance from the pool’s edge, when he saw an old man being tossed about in the turbulent water. He called to his disciples, and together they ran to rescue the victim. But by the time they reached the water, the old man had climbed out onto the bank and was walking along, singing to himself.

K’ung Fu-tse hurried up to him. “You would have to be a ghost to survive that,” he said, “but you seem to be a man, instead. What secret power do you have?”

“Nothing special,” the old man replied. “I began to learn while very young, and grew up practising it. Now I am certain of success. I go down with the water and come up with the water. I follow it and forget myself. I survive because I don’t struggle against the water’s superior power. That’s all

What should we do when adult students misbehave in class? Part 2

This is the second in a series of three blogs I’m planning to write about what to do when our adult students misbehave in class. The idea is to share your views on these real experiences and what could be done in future similar scenarios.


A few years ago in my in-company classes, my class management skills were really put to the test.

I was teaching at a multinational steelmaker. Most of my classes were a mix of people who worked in the factory plant and people who worked in the HR, Accounting and Supply Chain offices. An old student of mine (A), who I’m really fond of, was going to join one of my classes.

A had been putting off starting her English class because it was not simple for her to stop her activities in the plant to move all the way to the company’s offices. I insisted on her coming because she needed English for work and I had found her a great class.

I loved that particular group because it was very laid-back. All teachers usually have one class which they are specially keen on. In my “easy” class, there were two men and one woman (B), all of whom were working in the company’s offices. We got on really well.

When A turned up, B made a strange face. I don’t think she did it on purpose, I realized later on she couldn’t help it. A addressed B directly, ignoring the rest of us and said:

“You and the complete HR department are useless”.

One of the men added: “I’ll say”.

I felt a knot in my stomach and just uttered “A, leave that for later on, please”.

But A was red-cheeked with rage. She went on:

“Your department asked me to report on all the employees under my charge. I worked relentlessly for two days and then you e-mailed me back saying that there had been a mistake and that I didn’t have to report on anything?”

B’s eyes were starting to water. The men in the class felt inadequate. They cracked jokes like “yeah, we hate one another at work”or “Yeah, wow!” in an attempt to ease the tension. I felt terrible and just said:

“A, please, this is the English class. Everybody gets frustrated at work now and then. I’m not asking you to leave your life outside, I’m asking you to calm down and let yourself go with the flow of the class”

A was oblivious to my discomfort and to B’s suffering. She added:

“You know what? I think HR only cares about the colours in their power point presentations. Do you know how much invaluable time I wasted on those reports? No, because you never go to the production plant!”

B gathered strength and said:

“You’re right HR tends to make mistakes. I made a mistake this time. I’m aware of the fact that people in the plant don’t see the value in our work. What else do you want me to say?” and shy tears started to roll down her cheeks.

A was apparently moved because she fell silent. I looked at everyone in the class and said:

“This has been a very uncomfortable situation. I know, it’s not easy for you to have a break from work and come to the English class. I really appreciate that you do. But this is not a boxing ring. This is not the place where you vent your anger. You come here from different parts of the company. You probably don’t know one another that well. Please let’s try to cooperate to foster a good atmosphere where learning can take place. We need to pratice more tolerance if we want to work in this community.”

A’s emotions seemed to have ranged from anger to guilt. B apologised. The men just listened. We carried out the tasks in the class quite smoothly afterwards but my head was pounding. A never returned to our classes.

I had the feeling that the class got out of hand. I had the feeling that my management skills had just failed me. The situation took me by surprise. I was taken aback. To be honest, I still wonder what I could have done.

What do you think? You are welcome to comment on this. Thank you

What should we do when adult students misbehave in class?

What should we do when adult students “misbehave” in class? I have all sorts of examples. However, I’m going to comment on a few of them and see if we can share ideas. This is the first in a series of three blogs I’m planning to write about.


Some years ago I was teaching an in-company class. The group consisted of three men and two women. To everybody’s surprise all three women were pregnant at the same time- A, B and me. Our classes used to run from 11:30 am to 1 pm. The men in the class liked the timetable because they took a break from work to come to class and then they set out for the company’s restaurant to have lunch – a nice combination to provide their daily routines with a break

Ladies A, B and I used to talk about what we were going through before the guys arrived at the class. We talked about possible names for our babies, medical tests, the weight we had gained, our feelings and so on and so forth. Those first minutes in the class were really therapeutic.

However, once the class started lady B began to fidget in her seat. I couldn’t help noticing that and I asked her if she needed help. Her response was always the same: "no, thank you". As soon as I delivered instructions for the class, she started moaning. She was unwilling to do “creative stuff” in her own words. She seemed to be interested in drilling and repetitive activities.

B enjoyed picking on her classmates- men and A alike- if they showed interest in the tasks proposed in class. She said she was tired/hungry/bored/snowed under and she couldn’t believe the other participants were willing to work. She started to tease them. She asked them questions out of the blue until she had everyone’s attention.

I pretended I didn’t mind her comments and acted as a moderator when she happened to hurt somebody in the class (for example when she told A her future baby’s name was boring because it had been used too many times before). I also tried to show sympathy for what she was going on personally. I was worried about that particular class and gave it a lot of thought until I decided to give B a different set of activities to do while the rest worked on their tasks.

One day B came to class in a total bad mood. She kept turning back and having a look at the time on the wall clock. I was tired of trying in vain to make her feel good. I looked at her and suddenly said …

Me “B, why are you checking the time every two minutes?”
B “I’m extremely bored, I don’t care about your activities”
Me “Listen, I know you’re tired, you have a child at home who’s waiting for you, you have lots of things at work going on, are you sure you want to continue coming?”
B “Are you kicking me out?”
Me “I’m just asking you to do what you want to do. Nobody forces you to come.”
B “I’m hungry, that’s all”
Me “Ok, if that’s all, why don’t you try eating something before class and then we all work together and in peace.”

She gave me a cold look. That afternoon, B e-mailed me saying that she was going to continue coming because she loved English and enjoyed the classes and that I had no right to force her to leave. I just replied back saying I was happy to hear she had made up her mind. The following day, she was the first to arrive. She worked cooperatively until the very last day of classes. In the end, our meetings started to run smoothly.

I’m now attending an NLP course which is giving me lots of insights into rapport and class management. When I look back at that experience, I can’t stop asking myself if I was right or if I was too tough.

What do you think? You're welcome to comment on this in English or Spanish.

Love,

Georgi

More ideas to define clear outcomes for our lives

Upon reading Marisa's comment, I started to read a little bit more about outcomes. We can achieve what we want. We need to understand where we're standing now and all the steps we need to take to get to our desired place.

Below's a home-made summary of the notes I took. They've been over simplified. I hope it sheds some light on what to take into account when designing a plan of action to achieve our outcomes:

The first step to any effective plan is to find out what you want. If you consider how long we spend buying a car or a house surely determining what we want in our life deserves a little time. Allow yourself free reign and enjoy all of the possibilities.

The second step is to start creating a path between what you want and where you are. If other people have achieved similar goals then you have proof that it is possible to make your dreams a reality.

The third step is to consider your area of control or influence. This allows you to focus on what you can do. It also brings to attention what you can’t do.
Recognising what you can and cannot do is the fourth step. This allows you to plan for where you need help or need to gather greater expertise or influence.
Now consider what are the costs of attaining your goal. This is the fifth step and helps you to balance your time and priorities.

At the sixth step, now that your plans have started taking a solid realistic shape consider the resource you have to bring to bear to each goal. Don’t limit yourself or write yourself off otherwise that is just letting fear taking control again. Consider your time, skills, experience, and available resources, such as the skills of friends and family.

The final step may seem trivial but ask yourself if you would accept your outcome. Many people work hard to save for retirement only to find it was the work in moving towards it that they enjoyed more than the money they gained. This final consideration will help sharpen your focus on your outcome and make more real for you now.

This process, of course, doesn’t guarantee success and happiness. However it’s certainly a smart way of living, working and planning. While I have yet to achieve many of my goals, I’m enjoying the journey.

Love,

Georgi

Having clear outcomes to achieve success

I'm doing an NLP course and it's becoming pretty clear to me there are two types of people, those who set goals and those who don’t.

John Grinder and Richard Bandler joined forces and modelled the geniuses to create the field of NLP. A distinction they observed in high achievers is they know what they want in life. They have a deep commitment to doing whatever it takes to get their goal and there is no doubt about getting it.

Below is a summary of the stages in outcome criteria written by Michael Carroll:

1.Stated in positive terms: focussing on what is wanted is often a major shift in thinking. Many people focus on what is not wanted. They don’t want to be fat; they don’t want to poor and so on. There is a personal development saying that “you get what you focus on” Why invest time and energy dwelling on what you don’t want? Create an outcome and put your attention on achieving it.


1.Initiated and maintained by self: To be successful, it is important to hold the reigns of your own personal achievement. The outcomes you set are for you and controlled by you. Nobody else is responsible for the success or lack of it. Create outcomes where you are the instigator of the process and the catalyst at each leverage point in the outcome.

1.Specific sensory based description of outcome, steps and evidence: Multiple description (Visual, auditory and kinaesthetic representations) is a key element of NLP. In outcome setting it is important to have a strong VAK representation of the outcome end result. The evidence procedure is – what will be happening when you achieve your goal. If you are sensitive to your unconscious signals, you can test the end result representation for congruency. In everyday language this means does it feel like you can actually achieve this. If there is doubt, work on the doubt.

1.More than one way to get the outcome: once you have a strong set of congruent representations for the outcome, think of multiple ways for achieving it. Use multiple description (VAK) for each different choice and place no value judgment on the different ways you can achieve your goal, just be highly creative. If you are sensitive to your unconscious signal, it will provide you with feedback on the different choices you are considering. Between unconscious and conscious mediation pick one or two choices that seem to work best. However, always be open to new choices whilst on the journey of getting the goal.

1.First step is specific and achievable: this is the key for taking action. You want to initiate the first step ASAP. By achieving the first step you are on the way to achieving the outcome.

1.Increases choice: the increase of choice is key element of NLP. A fundamental premise of NLP coaching is creating more choice. A counter example is where a hypnotist would install a revulsion for a certain type of food and in doing so assist a client to reach a weight goal. However, this intervention has removed a choice for the client. In NLP, if part of an outcome is changing a behaviour that no longer supports you, the behaviour you are seeking to change remains one of many choices. In NLP we do not take away the choice of any behaviour we give our clients the resources to make new positive choices.

1.Is ecological: In NLP, ecology means how the parts relate to the whole system. In outcome setting the question is how does achieving this outcome impact the integrity of the system? When an outcome is viewed with the whole system in mind, it may be established that the consequences of the outcome are negative. In this case you would adapt the outcome so in terms of the whole system the consequences are positive. If in the outcome is deemed ecological you then attribute the appropriate level of energy at making the outcome happen.

I hope you enjoy it and it helps you become a high-achiever!

Love, Georgi

http://www.georginahudsonteaching.blogspot.com/

Note: Michael Carroll is the only NLP Master Trainer in the world certified by NLP co-creator John Grinder and Carmen Bostic St Clair.

Experience your good

For all of us who are interested in the power of staying positive, there's this delightful book, where Louise Hay discusses the power and importance of affirmations and shows you how to apply them right now. Some of the topics you'll encounter in the book are: health, fearful emotions, addictions, prosperity issues, love and intimacy, and more. The author also presents exercises that show you how to make benefitial changes to virtually every area in your life. On the enclosed CD, Louise Hay offers you helpful information about affirmations which you can use to your benefit.

On celebration of the release of "Experience Your Good Now", Louise and her publishing house are giving away a place on their next cruise to the Caribbean in January 2011! It's a great opportunity to spend a week with Hay House authors. You can share it with your friends to earn extra entries.

www.experienceyourgoodnow.com

Love, Georgina

It is possible to teach L2 without resorting to L1!

After meeting, Fabienne and Romain for a week, we were ready to set out to learn English. I'd like to highlight that the teaching-learning process wouldn't have been possible if rapport hadn't been established first.



Luckily for me, Romain and Fabienne were very well-behaved and they felt eager to acquire some English. They had learned to trust me and I had learned to pay attention to all the signals they gave me -directly or indirectly.



Fabienne started to call me her "butterfly", I liked it. A butterfly is beautiful and colourful. That nickname gave me a glimpse of what she felt for me. She also gave me an invaluable hand with Romain. Romain, in turn, felt happy throughout the classes and so did I.



I noticed Fabienne liked songs, poems, literature. I didn't have access to a lot of materials in Paris but I did my best to cater for her needs. We had a famous book, which I particularly love, and I supplemented the classes with authentic material. I tried to appeal to her feelings in most of the tasks because she engaged in the activities more positively when I did. It was quite simple for me to teach her because her level of English was pretty good.



Romain was a totally different story. I worked a lot with realia. I made posters and flashcards. I collected watercolours, scissors, cardboard, coloured crayons, clothes pegs, pencils, etc. The learning process was lots of fun. We moved around, we sang along the songs I took for the class, we made lots of materials in class. He learned basic things like introducing himself and his family, greetings, naming pets, likes and dislikes, basic ways to talk about his feelings.



The learning process wasn't fast, esp. with Romain. It was meaningful. Once Fabienne or Romain grasped an idea, they internalized it. All in all, I'd say, it was very important for me to get to know these children and to gain their trust. I first observed the way they felt about me, the way they felt about themselves and the way they felt about the English language. I took note of their learning styles and learning strategies. The first 5 days and 20 hours together, we just worked on building rapport and becoming aware of who we were and how we felt.



That first week paved the way for an incredible teaching-learning experience which flowed smoothly and at its own pace just because we respected our identities and feelings, we enhanced our potential and worked on areas that needed practice resorting to Fabienne and Romain's favourite channels of acquisition.



When people ask me "how did you manage to teach children who didn't have any clue of Spanish?" I just say "communication in English was possible because we resorted to lots of non-verbal communication in the process". Was it simple? I don't know. Was it hard? Not at all. We came to a point where we felt like a tribe, which was very respectful of its objective -learning English- and like any tribe, we had a code of conduct, which we followed all the way.



(I would like to thank Jane Revell and Susan Norman for the huge amount of insight they gave me into rapport and VAK when I read "In your hands")



If you like these ideas, you can also visit www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/georginahudson

Is it possible to teach English without resorting to L1? (part 3)

Fabienne:

The first thing I had to learn in my classes with Fabienne is to lower the tone of my voice. I wouldn't call myself loud. Nobody has ever asked me to lower the tone of my voice and neither did Fabienne. It was just the laid-back soft way she had in absolutely every sense which paved the way for a very "zen" approach to our classes.

We started playing games to get to know each other. She was really tuned in to the class and in her sweet calm way, she showed me how much she cared about my background. She asked me lots of things about Argentina, the reason that I was in Paris, my family in Buenos Aires (province). In a way, she was leading the class. She made me feel really comfortable.

It was her turn to play and open up. She smiled the broadest smile I had ever seen. She was beautiful. She told me her real Senegalese name. I tried to repeat it and she smiled at me openly, sincerely, without hiding her sympathy and pity for the awful way I had pronounced her name.

She was true to her style all the way - transparent, honest, soft. She told me about how much she missed Senegal and to what extent she also appreciated living in Paris. She talked about the advantages and disadvantages of being an African in France. I loved her detailed account of Senegal.

I could see the sunny beaches. I could feel the humidity and heat during the dry season. I particularly liked what she said about Senegalese women. They seemed to be very relaxed about their physical appearance. It was really fun to hear Fabienne contrast the French with the Senegalese. I could see the lattest wearing their colourful tunics and turbans. I could smell the chep-bu-jen they prepare. It was in her words "a land of passion" and she was definitely passionate herself when she talked about her country.

The class ran smoothly. We moved from one activity to the other quietly and we were really engaged in getting to know each other. We found more similarities than differences - being a foreigner in Paris, feeling that we didn't belong, enjoying the beauty of France, taking pride in our roots and learning to accept and respect differences.

Fabienne, who seemed reluctant to talk at first, eventually let go of her feelings "in English". I felt very proud of her and very grateful I had found these kids. My first class with Fabienne was a real journey - my actual trip in Europe.

If you're interested in the topic, you can also visit www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/georginahudson (sponsored by the BBC and British Council)

Is it possible to teach English without resorting to language 1? Part 2

On my second teaching day, I felt somewhat nervous. I'd been very excited about my new teaching experience and I hadn't stopped talking about my new students. I still didn't know how to face this challenge. I was taught at the Teachers Training College to plan things carefully, which I did, and somehow, I also knew I was very probably going to do away with my carefully planned lesson.

I wondered on my way to my students' house if I was the one who was learning in the process. I felt life was trying to tell me something. These children were a blessing to me. I'd been living in Paris for a while without so much to do having done all the touristic circuit in a previous trip. These meetings with Fabienne and Romain gave a lot of sense to my stay.

I'm always asking myself how to live meaningfully and I always find the same answer in my heart "I live meaningfully by loving life and embracing it" I'm not talking about romantic love, I'm talking about love as a state of living. Romain, the day before, had shown me love at a much more profound level than any other student in my past.

I arrived at their house and they welcomed me warmly at the door. Their parents were working in the afternoons, when we met, and Fabienne was in charge of the house, the tutorials, and her brother. I almost burst into tears - Romain opened his arms as a way of telling me he wanted to embrace me (just like I'd done the day before). I said "hello" and both of them went "hello" and we cuddled. I was thrilled.

When we went to the study, I improvised some costumes, I changed the tone of my voice and I asked Romain to wait for me inside the study. I opened the door and said "hello" using funny voices, Romain always repeated "hello" and then I commented on things in the study, Romain looked at me and said "je ne sais pas" and raised his shoulders. I smiled and waved him goodbye, accompanying the gesture with the words "Bye" he repeated. I left the room.

We repeated the procedure several times, I changed voices, and body language (I pretended to be an old lady, or a serious man, for ex) and we exchanged "hello. I'm X person" Romain greeted me and appeared to enjoy the acting and then I left the room and said "bye" and he repeated.

When I went into the room for the third or fouth time, Romain was sitting at his desk, he didn't look at me in the eye and was very busy drawing some things. I felt discouraged but I hid my feelings. I said "Great, show me" (I always varied my tone of voice for him to have some clue about what I was trying to communicate) and sat down next to him. He never looked at me, I didn't ask him to do it. I just looked at his pictures.

I pointed at one of them and said "blue" and then I took his blue pencil and said "blue" again. He turned, looked at me and I said "blue" and he smiled his most irresistible smile and repeated "blue" and we went on doing the same with the rest of the primary colours.

I took advantage of some flashcards I'd carried along with me and we identified the colours together. I turned the flashcards over and mixed them. Romain had to find the appropriate colour flashcard. Then I said "listen" pointing at my ear and I added "and point" and I showed him how to point. I was lucky Romain was an adorable boy. He knew what to do and did it very well.

So, we started playing "listen and point" (and I called out a colour) and "listen and touch". I decided to complicate it a little and I hid the fashcards under a paper. The colours were quite visible. Romain could see through the paper most of the times but not all the times.

Time was up and I opened my arms and hugged him, I kissed his curly hair and left the room waving and saying "bye" Romain smiled and said "Bye". Fabienne was waiting for her learning turn outside of the study.

My head was spinning, I felt a mix of confusion and excitement about Romain's classes but my question was: Is he actually learning? I must say, I was deflated when he refused to look at me and pretended to be engaged in his drawings but I understood he was trying to tell me that he was bored, or simply, that he wanted to paint.

Fabienne showed Romain to some other place in the house, and we started the class. Fabienne was tired. She needed to talk. I sat down near her and we started to chat. It was simpler with Fabienne as she had an intermediate level of English.

Her eyes were very telling. They showed me the tip of the iceberg she held inside. She was ready to talk but mostly chitchat. I listened to her intently and made her questions about her talk. I realized she needed to know me before opening up. Fabienne was 100% African, I was/am 100% Latin American. I decided to talk about how I felt in Paris being a Latin American myself. I was very honest all the way. Fabienne eventually opened up.

Is it possible to teach English without resorting to language 1?

A few years ago I was commissioned to teach English to Franco-African children in the outskirts of Paris.

I'm Argentinian, I have no knowledge of French, and I was quite excited to have been given the chance to teach these children English.

Having said that, I was a little confused about how to communicate with them if problems in communication arose.

The youngest of the siblings was only 5 years old at the time and he had no idea of English or Spanish. His sister though had an intermediate level of English and I told myself I could always ask her for help if things got "too challenging".

My first class with Romain, the 5 year-old boy, was more about observing him. The first thing I knew I needed to do is to establish rapport. I needed Romain to trust me. I took lots of realia along with me with the expectation to deliver my super creative plan and we started the class.

Fortunately for me, Romain was very friendly and easy-going. He smiled at me (I knew he didn't know what to do and it was his sweetest way to respond) and I smiled back. He moved around his bedroom, looking for his toys and ignoring me. I followed him, keepig my distance and just looked at what he was doing in an attempt to start playing with him. I always remembered to smile.

No verbal language was involved. He noticed I was interested in his toys and he eventually handed in one to me. I hugged the toy and kissed it. Romain laughed. He must have thought I was crazy. We were doing the same for a long time - he grabbed a toy, I looked at it with interest and then he gave it to me. I took the toy, hugged it with love and kissed it.

I noticed Romain was very generous and well-behaved. I opened my arms to signal I wanted to embrace Romain. He smiled and accepeted my hug. It was a very moving moment. I said "I'm (pause) Georgi" touching my chest. He imitated me and went "I'm Georgi".

I frowned in a smiley way and said, "I'm Georgi" always touching my chest and I pointed at him saying just "Romain" and he followed "Romain" touching his chest. I repeated "I'm Georgi" and signalled for him to say "I'm Romain" and he did.

I kissed his curly hair and said "ok" and I accompanied the words with the "ok" universal gesture.

That was all I could do on my first day. When I took the train back to my flat, I realized how powerful that meeting was. I was eager to see Romain again. We had accomplished a lot. We were building trust